Cigarette manufacturing machine



P. J. HERRMANN CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING MACHINE April 1, 1941.

Filed Feb. 18, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F Q =K a MIATTORI Y Y April P. J. HERRMANN CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1936 INVENTOR Paul .7. iiV/Zdiii BY /U4 ATTOR Y April 1941- P. J. HERRMANN 2.237.033

CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed Feb. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Razz! fi e/7 27242226 BYb p Patented Apr. 1, 1941 2,237,033 I CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING MACHINE Paul Johannes Herrmann, Dresden, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to J. C. Muller N. V., Rotterdam, Netherlands Application February 18, 1936, Serial N0. 64,529. In Germany February .19, 1935 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette manufacturing machines, and has for an important object thereof the provision of a machine of relatively small size which is capable of making a cigarette of uniform size and compactness.-

In the machines at present available for making cigarettes the machines are relatively large in size in order to perform the various steps looking to the completion of the cigarette, and this bulkiness in the machines makes constant supervision impracticable for one person, and it is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a relatively small, compact machine wherein the tobacco particles are fed to the rod-forming means at right angles to the movement of the rod-forming means so that the operator of the machine can readily watch the supply while at the same time being in a position to keep close supervision on the other operative parts of the machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tobacco spreader and selecting means wherein the heavier tobacco particles are removed and the lighter or acceptable particles are carried along to the rod-forming means.

A further object of this invention is to provide in conjunction with the rod-forming means a tobacco compacting device which will compress the tobacco particles and subsequently deliver the compressed rod to a shaping device Where the rod is wrapped with the paper and an adhesive applied, the wrapped rod then being carried along to a cutting means where the desired lengths are cut off.

A still further object of this invention is to provide in a machine of this character means whereby the wrapper may be fed to the rodforming means simultaneously with the feeding of the loose tobacco particles so as to facilitate the delivery of the compacted rod to the shaper.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a machine constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 1a shows the eccentric mounting of the bearing 30 for the compressing disc 26.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the machine.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4- is'a sectional view taken on the line A i of Fig. 1.-

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modified form of receiving trough.

Figure I is an enlarged fragmentary'side elevation-of the receiving trough and means for conveying the loose particles-to the compressing device.

F-igure8-is a sectional view taken on the line '8-u ofFig. 7.

Figure!) -'is-a view similar to Fig-1, but showing a-niodified formoi' feeding device for the wrapper.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like symbols designate like parts throughout the several views, thenumeral I designates generally a base upon which a frame 2 is mounted. The base I has a hopper or tobacco supply member II) at the rear thereof, and the bottom of this hopper Ill is closed by the upper run oi an endless conveyor belt M! which is mounted 'on rollers 4| and 42; A transfer drum or roller II is mounted on a shaft c3, and the conveyor 49 constantly moves I the tobacco in the direction of the drum II and the particles are carried upwardly and over the top of this drum ll through rotation thereof. Rollers I2" and I3, which are mounted on shafts l4 and E5, are disposed in substantially contacting relation to thedrum or spreader ll andserve as a means of providing a uniform delivery of tobacco particles by the spreader II. A shield or scraper 46 engages the roller I2, and a similar shield or scraper ll engages the roller I3 so as to prevent any of the tobacco particles from being carried around these rollers I2 and I3.

A rotating brush or cleaning member M is mounted at the discharge side of thesprea-der II below the roller I2, and this brush or cleaning member HI discharges the particles of tobacco onto rotating blade structure l5 which is adapted to throw the loose particles forwardly and at a slight upward inclination, as shown in Figure 3. The heavier particles are thrown with sufficient force to be delivered into a receiving chamber It, as shown in Fig. 3, and the lighter and acceptable particles are delivered to a forwardly moving conveyor H which passes beneath a vertical wall IS the front portion of which constitutes an abutment against which the lighterparticles strike and fall downwardly onto the conveyor I-"l. Any metallic particles present in the tobacco as it travels-on conveyor H, are removed by magnet M suitably supported adjacent the rear portion of the conveyor 2| and at substantially the same speed, and the inner wall of the channel 20 is formed by a stationary wall member 43, the upper end of which is beveled as at 49.

A beater or brush member I9 is rotatably mounted at the forward end of the conveyor I! in a position whereby this beater or brush member I9 will throw the tobacco particles forwardly and,

downwardly into the channel 20 and at the same time remove all of the particles from the conveyor I! at the forward end thereof, Through the provision of the conveyor 8 of the, channel 20 the tobacco is not permitted to pile up and therefore form an uneven rod. 7 V

A stationary outer wall 50 extends from the forward end of the conveyor8 and is disposed parallel with the inner wall 48, and these two wall members 48 and 50 extend to a point at substantially the bottom of a compressing means, including the members 24, 25 and 26. carried along the channel 20 by the conveyor 2| is delivered to said compressing means, which aresecured together by a pin29. Said 24 and 25 are rotatably mounted on a stationary shaft 27 carried by the frame 2. An intermediate disc or plate 26 is disposed between the disks 24 and 25, and is smaller in diameter than the disks 24, and 25, sothat the disks 24 and 25 constitute the sides of an'annular groove 22 of which the disk 26 formsthe bottom. The groove 22 is ar- 4 ranged so as to receive tobacco conveyed from the channel 20 by the conveyor 2|. The side walls of the groove 22 and the belt 2| constitutea tobacco rod-forming means.

a long slit-like radially placed'aperture 32.

The inner disk 26; the periphery of which forms the bottom of the forming groove 22, is rotatably Said disk 26 is ear ried along by means of said pin 29'when'the disks 24 and 25 rotate,'said pin 29 passing through ,forced through this shaping member 35 by reason of the rotation of the compressing means, including the members 24, 25, and 26 and the release of the rod from the channel 22 under the action of the releasing member 33. V

The rod is adapted to be wrapped by paper or other suitable wrapper 5 fed from a supply roll 4 supported on a shaft 5| carried by the frame 2. The wrapper strip 5 is passed through a printing device 3 mounted in the frame 2, and on leaving the printing device, the strip is trained under an idler roller 52 and passes over a roller 36 dis-posed adjacent the releasing member 33 as shown in 35 where the strip 5 is wrapped about the rod 34 The tobacco mounted on an eccentrically disposed member which is secured to the stationary shaft 21,- and this member 30 is preferably'adjustable through a slot 3|. r The shallowest portion of the groove 22 is maintained at the top by means of said eccentrically disposed member 30, and in this manner the rod groove 22 is gradually reduced in the direction of the-movement of the tobacco.

The conveyor 2| is continued about the periphery of the rod forming means, including the members 24, 25 and 26 fora distance of subj stantially one hundred and eighty degrees and the inner run of this conveyor constitutes one wall of the compressing means andholds the tobacco in the channel 22. A plurality of idler rollers 23 are disposed between the two runs of :forwardly of the releasing member 33, and. the

compressed rod removed from the compressing means, including the members 24, 25 and 26, is

Fig. 1, so that the strip 5 will move with the rod 34 by means of a conveyor belt 53, into the shaper into the desired cylindrical shape.

While I have shown and described the wrapper being fed to the rod after the latter has been formed by the compressing means, the wrapper maybe fed directly to the compressing means prior to the formation of the tobacco rod as shown in the modification illustrated inFig. 9, whereby the tobacco is wrapped simultaneously withthe formation of the tobacco rod. In this event, after leaving the. printing device 3, the strip 5a is trained over the idler 52a adjacent the compressing means and enters the channel22 ahead of the entrance thereinto of the uncompressed tobacco. r After the wrapped rod leaves the shaper 35 it is conveyed bybelt 53 to an' appliance 3'! which applies an adhesive to the wrapper or strip 5'or 5a, and from this adhesive applying device 31 the rod 34 moves along a guide member 9'in the form of an elongated channel which guides the rod 34 to a cutting device 38 where the wrapped and sealed rod 34 is cut up into the proper lengths to form the cigarettes.

Supplemental wrapper roll '6 is provided in the frame 2' sothat a constant supply of the strip 5 or Ea'may be assured. The cigarettes as they are" cut off by the' cutting device 36 are passed along to a table 39 from which point they may be readily removed for packaging.

In Figure 6 there is disclosed a modified form of receiving channel for the loose tobacco, and in' this form the particles are carried along-by the conveyor I1" and removed by the brush l9 which discharges the particles into the channel 20. 'The channel 20 has an inclined forward wall 8' of the movable type, the channel 20'--decreasing in width downwardly to theupper run of a'movable bottom member 2 which is similar to the bottom member 2|. The inner or rear wall 49- of the channel 2fl'.is in this instance vertical.

- In the use and operation of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1-4, the loose tobacco particles are deposited into the hopper or receiver I0, the bottom wall 40 of which moves forwardly in the direction of the rotating spreading member H. The particles are carried over the top 'of this member ll, being evenly spread out ,by means of the rollers l3 and I2. The particles of tobacco fall downwardly on the side of this spreader opposite from the hopper I0 and engage a brush l4 which directs the loose particles toward .the projecting bladed member l5. The projecting member |5 rotatesat such a speed as, toic'ause the heavier particles to be thrown into the receiver I6, whereas the lighter and acceptable particles of tobacco fall downwardly on to the forwardly moving conveyor I1 and pass under the magnet M which removes any metallic particles present in the tobacco.

e,eaaocs The conveyor l'l discharges the loose tobacco into'the'channel 2fl,'the brush l9 facilitating the' removal of the particles about the periphery of said discs fromthe bottom thereof tothe top. The movable wall disc 26 of the "rod-forming means being eccentrically mounted, gradually compresses the tobacco in the I will remove-the compressed rod 34. After leaving the rod-forming means the tobacco rod 34 is delivered'on to the wrapper strip coming from the supply roller 4 and printing device 3, and

31, which seals the wrapper strip 5 about the rod 34. From here, the wrapped and sealed rod is conveyed through the guiding channel 9 and into the cutting device 38, where the wrapped rod is out into proper cigarette lengths and delivered to a table 39 from whence the cut cigarettes may be removed for packaging.

In the operation of the machine illustrated in Fig. 9, the strip 5a is fed to the channel 22 of the rod-forming means including the rotatable disc E l, 25 and 26, so that said strip is wrapped about the tobacco simultaneously with the formation of the rod instead of being applied after the formation of the rod, as disclosed in Fig. 1. From the rod-forming means, the wrapped rod is conducted to the shaper where it is properly shaped and conveyed to the other stations of the apparatus, as above described in connection with machine of Fig. 1.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without depart ing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigarette machine comprising a hopper, means for removing loose tobacco particles from the hopper, means for separating the heavier from the lighter particles removed from the hopper, a rotatable compressing member having a tobacco rod forming channel in the periphery thereof, means for delivering the loose particles to the channel of said compressing member, means for maintaining the loose particles in the channel of said compressing member during the rotation thereof, means for removing the compressed rod from the channel of said compressing member, means for wrapping a paper strip around the rod, means for applying an adhesive to the wrapped rod, and means for cutting the rod into cigarette length, the delivery means of the loose particles being substantially parallel with the rodforming means and substantially perpendicularly below the same.

2. In a cigarette machine, the combination of means for feeding tobacco in one direction, means for forming said tobacco and a strip of paper into a cigarette rod, moving in the opposite dichannel 22 until the top of the machine is= "reached, at which point the releasing member 33 from'the forward end of the conveyor ll. When 7 the loose tobacco enters the channelill, the conveyorsil and 2! carry it along the channel 20 to rod-forming means including rotatable discs 24,

rection, means interposedbetween said two means for conveying the said tobacco from the feeding means to the rod-formingmeans anda tobacco spreader for supplying said feeding means with tobacco,- arranged below the rod-forming-means.

3.'Ina cigarette machine, the combination-of -means'for feeding tobacco in one direction, means for forming said tobacco-and a strip of'paper' into a'cigarette' rod, moving in the opposite direction, meansinterposed between said two meansifor conveying the said tobacco from the feeding means to the rod-forming means, and a tobacco spreader for supplying said feeding means with tobacco, arranged below the rod-forming means, said interposed means comprising a conveyor disc, and said feeding means extending over said conveyor disc. v

4. A cigarette machine comprising a tobacco spreader, a tobacco receiving channel member includinga movable wall arranged at the end of said spreader, means for'moving said movable wall'during a portion of its travel through degrees, a releasing member in the pathof the tobacco onsaid movable wall, means for supplying paper to the tobacco, cigarette forming means for said tobacco and paper, said tobacco channel being substantially parallel with the cigarette forming means and substantially perpendicularly below said cigarette forming means, and means disposed between said channel and cigarette forming means and cooperating with said movable wall to form the tobacco into a rod.

5. A cigarette machine comprising a tobacco spreader, a tobacco receiving channel member including a movable Wall arranged at the end of said spreader, means for moving said movable wall during a portion of its travel through 180 degrees, a releasing member in the path of the tobacco on said movable wall, means for supplying paper to the tobacco, cigarette forming means for said tobacco and paper, said tobacco channel being substantially parallel with the cigarette forming means and substantially perpendicularly below said cigarette forming means, and a conveyor means disposed between the tobacco channel and cigarette forming means and cooperating with said movable Wall to form the tobacco into a rod and consisting of a shaft, spaced discs on said shaft, and a disc disposed between said spaced discs and of smaller diameter, so as to leave an open space at the periphery for receiving the tobacco.

6. A cigarette machine comprising a tobacco spreader, a tobacco receiving channel member including a movable wall arranged at the end of said spreader, means for moving said movable wall during a portion of its travel through 180 degrees, a releasing member in the path of the tobacco on said movable wall, means for supplying paper to the tobacco, cigarette forming means for said tobacco and paper, said tobacco channel being substantially parallel with the cigarette forming means, and substantially perpendicularly below said cigarette forming means, a conveyor means disposed between the tobacco channel and cigarette forming means and cooperating with said movable wall to form the tobacco into a rod and consisting of a shaft, spaced discs on said shaft, and a disc disposed between said spaced discs and of smaller diameter, so as to leave open space at the periphery for receiving the tobacco, said interposed disc being arranged eccentrically between said spaced discs, and means for moving said eccentric discs between the spaced discs, to gradually decrease the size of the peripheral space from the point of reception of the tobacco on the conveyor means to-the point of delivery of the tobacco by the conveyor means to the forming means.

; 7. A cigarette machine comprising a tobacco spreader, a tobacco receiving channel member including a movable wall arranged at the endof' I the tobacco, cigarette forming means for said tobacco and paper, said tobacco channel being substantially parallel with the cigarette forming means and substantially perpendicularly below said cigarette forming means, a conveyor means disposed between the tobacco channel and cigarette forming means and cooperating with said movable wall to form the tobacco into a rod and consisting of a shaft, spaced discs on said shaft, and a disc disposed between said spaced discs and of smaller diameter, so as to leave an open space at the, periphery for receiving the tobacco, and means for gradually compressing the tobacco in the peripheral space of the conveyor means.

8. In a cigarette machine, spaced curved side the tobacco after being compressed by said member.

9. In a cigarette machine, tobacco feeding means, cigarette forming'means positioned at a higherelevation than said feeding means, and

rod-forming means arranged between said feeding means and cigarette formingmeans and acting also as transfer means between the feeding means and the cigarette forming means, said rod forming meansfbeing curved from the feeding means to the cigarette forming means.

10. In a cigarette machine, tobacco feeding means, cigarette forming means, one said means being arranged at an elevation higher than the other means, and rod forming means curved from one means to the other, said feeding means and rod forming means having a common tobacco moving member extendingsubstantially to the cigarette forming means.

PAUL JOHANNES HERRMANN. 

